From verse to better

A global initiative called the 100 Thousand Poets of Change (TPC) has come to the city with a vision of change. The organisation, which aims at achieving “peace and sustainability” through the medium of poetry, was first initiated in March 2011 by US writers Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrion. It has also been recognised as a historical event by Stanford University in California. And this year, the movement has spread to 115 countries which have organised more than 700 poetry and musical events.

Kitab Khana is hosting the four-day event in the city, which will include recitals of poems in English, regional languages and in musical form. These recitals will focus on critical topics such as freedom, homosexuality and deprivation of rights. “Since Mumbai is the hub of multiple languages and cultures, we thought it was ideal to organise the event here. This year, in addition to poetry, we have also incorporated music and other cultural elements,” says Menka Shivdasani, curator of 100 TPC in Mumbai. “Poetry is a subtle way of bringing about change. I’ll helm the session on women voices, where female poets from across the country will recite their works,” says city-based writer Vrinda Nabar, who will be reading excerpts from her books Caste As Woman and Family Fables, among others. What’s interesting is that after September 30, all the works, photographs and videos from the event, will be preserved in the archives of Stanford University.

“This is being done to maintain a permanent record for future generations to realise the strength of poetry,” says Shivdasani. “We are also welcoming entries of poems from regular people for the final compilation.”

The event is on till September 30 at Kitab Khana, Flora Fountain from 6pm to 8 pm. Send entries to poetsinmumbai@gmail.com

Knowing the bard A workshop on William Shakespeare will also be conducted, by Rati Wadia, former principal, Queen Mary School. It will comprise an exhibit on Shakespeare’s works and recitations of his dialogues. The workshop will be interactive and plans to incorporate three elements: his language and poetry, real life characters and the universal truth found in his works.